Skin rash as useful marker of erlotinib efficacy in NSCLC and its impact on clinical practice

Abstract

Erlotinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in treatment of advanced NSCLC. Patients harboring EGFR or KRAS mutations represent minority of all patients in caucasian population and there is no available predictor for a predominant group of patients harboring the wild-type EGFR and wild-type KRAS genes.

Skin rash is the most frequent manifestation of cutaneous toxicity of erlotinib. Rash is associated with a good therapeutic response.

We aimed at the evaluation of rash as a predictor of therapeutic effect of erlotinib in patients harboring the wild-type EGFR and KRAS wild-type genes and to assess its possible usage in a clinical practice.

Keywords

• erlotinib
• NSCLC
• rash
• targeted traetment
• skin toxicity